The AQUAPROFIT method

The organisation of integrated water service management implies a rethinking of management strategies in the majority of regions.

Reorganisation should ensure the necessary technical and economic efficiency, public education, awareness and deployment of human resources required for meeting user needs and improving living conditions, while ensuring respect for the environment and the aquatic ecosystem. A major commitment, in terms of both human and financial resources, is required to ensure these changes, especially in those countries where water resources are scarce or dwindling. In addition, conventional strategies may not be able to extend services to all urban residents and users. Therefore, innovative approaches should be contemplated not only with respect to technical solutions but also at the level of increasing awareness and active involvement of the various stakeholders. Therefore, a number of strategic elements can be identified, which affect the viability and sustainability of all activities aimed at improving basic service provision in particular in heavily urbanised and low-income areas. These elements range from legal and regulatory framework, the social, institutional, environmental and financial contexts, to technology and service levels.

The modular AQUAPROFIT training program

AQUAPROFIT is a comprehensive training program, which combines best practice of local water management on political, institutional, technological, commercial, legal, social and environmental level with most innovative didactics for the upgrading of human skills and capacity building. Click the link to view the complexity of a local water system and the various sectors, which have to be considered for the improvement of the system.

The objectives of AQUAPROFIT are ...

to contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the local population

by equitable, efficient and sustainable management of water resources,

by regional co-operation through capacity building, institutional development and introduction of good practice and

to provide sufficient prevention for current and future need of water supply, sanitation, and sewage treatment on own means.

AQUAPROFIT is thusfore a method, which provides help for self help in the longer run. With this concept the conventional concept of following instructions is switched to a sustainable concept, which bases on in-depth awareness and of necessary improvement steps and how to perform them. AQUAPROFIT aims at upgrading human skills in the relevant sectors of drinking water supply, sanitation and sewage and implementing pilot projects accompanied by public awareness campaigns.

Target groups of AQUAPROFIT are ...

National, regional and local authorities concerned with water management and related legal, technical and financial tasks

Water supply and treatment utilities and their staff members

Specialised companies and institutions providing services and products for water supply

Research and multiplier organisations

Intermediaries

End-user from industry (including service sector) and users associations

The method addresses the holistic field of responsibilities for the implementation of integrated water management:

Didactics of AQUAPROFIT

The AQUAPROFIT method is a combination of training and coached learning on the job. The activities of AQUAPROFIT include workshops, study tours, long term training, conferences, manuals and pilot projects. The later should guarantee that at the end concrete results and actions of improvement can be achieved. Further the involvement of many stakeholders should secure the sustainability of actions. The results which can be expected from using AQUAPROFIT are:

Institutional capacities and human skills of stakeholders are developed

Information of good practice between experts and decision-makers are exchanged

Human resources of participants are developed

Institutional and operational structures of the involved stakeholders are strengthened